GDI 3 Core Rad.

latham83

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#1

• May 26, 2004

• #1

with all my mods if i would get a gdi 3 core rad. from advance auto, and a new heavy duty clutch and fan setup, would i run considerably alot cooler?
i have the stock 2 core and a flex fan now..and a cheap 180* thermo from autozone. im gonna get a mr. gasket.....

 

ECU5.0

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#2

• May 26, 2004

• #2

probably would run at a more constant low temperature. gdi makes good radiators...we used to put them in cars all the time from advanced. how much is all that costing you anyways?

 

latham83

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#3

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• #3

i think the rad. is 160-170 from autozone or advance...a new clutch is about 60-70 and a new fan blade for it is like 40...so almost 300 dollars...
u can see all my mods and im running too hot...it hits 200 somtimes..at idle..i dont like it...and my new engine will knock if it hits 205..so i gotta keep it very cool.
dont feel like dumping money into a big electric fan and alternator either....from what i read ..a good rad. and good new clutch fan setup is alot better than this stupid flex fan i have

 

ECU5.0

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#4

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• #4

cant go wrong with a big ass aluminum radiator

 

8

87'GTstang

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#5

• May 26, 2004

• #5

latham83 said:

i think the rad. is 160-170 from autozone or advance...a new clutch is about 60-70 and a new fan blade for it is like 40...so almost 300 dollars...
u can see all my mods and im running too hot...it hits 200 somtimes..at idle..i dont like it...and my new engine will knock if it hits 205..so i gotta keep it very cool.
dont feel like dumping money into a big electric fan and alternator either....from what i read ..a good rad. and good new clutch fan setup is alot better than this stupid flex fan i have

Click to expand...

Well the whole idea of the electric fan setup is to have such an efficient cooling system so that the fan barely runs most of the time. This is where the advantage of horsepower gain and increased gas mileage comes from. I don't know why however people go for the flex fans thinking they are better. You're talking roughly 70% drag with the stock viscous clutch fan vs 100% full-time engine drag. Don't start crap by saying that they "flatten out" at high rpm's - seriously, where do cars drive at rpm range wise most of the time? So yes, definitely ditching that flex fan in any way possible is going to be better and you should stay cooler at a more consistent basis with that 3 core and the mr gasket thermostat..

 

90mustangGT

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May 26, 2004

#6

• May 26, 2004

• #6

I have the GDI 3 core radiator. Twice as thick as the stocker but just remove the rubber support bushings and it bolts right in, direct replacment. Made a big difference in cooling. I would check summit though, they have a Griffin aluminum for about $190.

A clutch fan is much better than a flex fan. For one, a clutch fan gets tighter as it gets hotter, so when it is not as hot, it frees up some drag such as when on the highway. But when it is hot, it doesn't loose air flow with RPM.

An electric fan is nice, but has it's drawbacks. It is better than both IMO but will cost you more.

 

HISSIN50

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#7

• May 26, 2004

• #7

i was wondering about your pinging at such low temps (from your other thread). do you have the EGR hooked up? for some folks, if they run without it, they get detonation prematurely (puter does not know it is AWOL). a burned chip normally fixes it. just a thought....

your combo sounds good to me (though im not very conversant with what effect your mods would have in terms of cooling system efficiency vs a stock set up). i dont have mods like you.
Jason brought up a good point. i thought that the GDI/Modine rads from AZ and Pep were more like 130-140 bucks. but that Summit job might be worth lookin into, given the small price differential. i also agree with his sentiments about flex fan characteristics vs a clutched fan.

are you getting a new fan blade too? i have a metal PAW job, and while im sure it is heavier than the stocker, it seems to do a real nice job of sucking (in a good way).
i dont trust the plastic ones, though i think they were re-designed at some point.

good luck.

 

90mustangGT

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#8

• May 26, 2004

• #8

HISSIN50 said:

Are you getting a new fan blade too? i have a metal PAW job, and while im sure it is heavier than the stocker, it seems to do a real nice job of sucking (in a good way).
i dont trust the plastic ones, though i think they were re-designed at some point.

Click to expand...

They made metal one's!? Now that would be the better redisigned one. The new plastics are better, but they still crack after a while. I'm not sure about the one's made for out cars but we commonly replace them on all types of cars that are running plastic fans. If you can get a metal one, definatly go for that.

 

latham83

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#9

• May 26, 2004

• #9

which griffen on summit would be the one i would get?? thers a bunch with dif. deminsions? are griffen are really good name?
im sure ill get awesome results with that GDI tho right...

 

HISSIN50

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#10

• May 26, 2004

• #10

90mustangGT said:

They made metal one's!? Now that would be the better redisigned one.

Click to expand...

i did not like the plastic idea, so when i ditched mine (cracks were scaring me), i called up PAW cause i saw they sold a bolt-in metal replacement. it has wider blades, as i recall, it does flow like a banshee. i like it; 30 bucks.

oh yeah, it is a smidge (i mean a smidge) larger diameter than the plastic one. when i used a tape to check it vs the dimensions of the stocker, it appeared the same. but when i bolted it in, i discovered i needed to replace my saggy motor mounts. a sixteenth or two of an inch difference. when i revved the motor, it tilted enough to clip the bottom of the shroud on one side (mounts were saggy and shot). just something to remember. but i recommend the metal blade.

 

latham83

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#11

• May 26, 2004

• #11

hey where do u get this metal one from? whats the website?
and its def. a better advantage of the plastic...for cooling wise..and efficiancy?

 

HISSIN50

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#12

• May 26, 2004

• #12

latham83 said:

hey where do u get this metal one from? whats the website?
and its def. a better advantage of the plastic...for cooling wise..and efficiancy?

Click to expand...

sorry, i have not answered the question about the alum vs GDI, etc, cuz i dont know (ive never had a 'good' speed shop alum radiator to be able to compare). did not want ya to think that was being ignored.

for the metal fan, i saw PAW's ad in 5.0 mag and SF's. this is their site:
http://www.pawengineparts.com/

i did not look for the fan blade online, cuz i have dial up and it is suuuuper slow for me to nav that site. but if you call, the guy i talked to was real helpful and knew the products really well (there were several options). just make sure he knows it is a reverse flow application (he asked me).

check a stang mag if you have some around - the fan blade should be in the ad (that way you have an idea of what part number you would need before you order).

i think the metal fan flows a lot more air than the stocker did. dont take this as gospel, but i think the metal blade has more blade width and pitch, which helps. it is loud, so bewarned (stupid people with no ears have asked if i have a blower)....i dont find it to be obnoxious, but some might. for me, if noise equals coolness, im fine with it.
i had swapped clutches and did the stat all at once, more or less, so i cant tell you in any scientific fashion that the metal blade is better. that said, it sure seems to work a lot better than my plastic blade did.

im rambling badly, so i will stop.
good luck.

 

latham83

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Jun 1, 2004

#13

• Jun 1, 2004

• #13

Hey can someone tell me how much fluid the GDI 3 ROW radiator holds?? Just the radiator..because the rest of the system will have juice in her yet...
and i wanna start fresh with a 70/30 mix with more water....and i need to figure it out...

 

HISSIN50

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#14

• Jun 1, 2004

• #14

in case no one knows, here goes. i normally premix my coolant and distilled water in a pitcher (a pitcher that will never be used for consumption of any sort again. it is the 'coolant' pitcher). i mix small batches when i think im close to having it filled. or mix a lot and pour what is left into the old coolant bottle and label it as premixed 30-70 or whatever ratio you use.

i know this is not what you were lookin for, but it is for in case no one knows. good luck.

 

ECU5.0

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#15

• Jun 1, 2004

• #15

probably like 2 gallons....i dont know, but do you still have that part number from advanced...if that is where you got it from?

 

latham83

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#16

• Jun 1, 2004

• #16

yea its 433138...

 

ECU5.0

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#17

• Jun 1, 2004

• #17

awesome...thanks man